Phoenix Wright 100 Theme Challenge
by Silkmouse
Summary: 100 Themes featuring Phoenix Wright characters: More information in the introduction/table of contents. There will be friendships, pairings, family love, and many others all with your favorite characters from all Ace Attorney games. Chap.6: The men he had based his ideals on both turned out to be dishonest murderers; so what does that mean for Edgeworth?
1. IntroductionTable of Contents

**I wanted to challenge myself, so I googled the 100 theme challenge. I decided to attempt to write 100 themes for the Phoenix Wright fandom, being super into the games right now. Since I can only play at my friend's house, it's a slow process; we are only on the second case of 'Justice for All'. But I really feel like I know some of the characters, so here we go.**

**This chapter is a table of contents for anyone who wants to find a particular one shot quicker than looking through the chapter index. The table is at the bottom of the page, it will eventually move up as some of this content is deleted.**

**Here's a summary of what to expect: I will update this table of contents when ever I post a new one shot, with a sentence describing the content of the one shot. This is to make certain pairings or friendships easier to find for people who don't want to have to look through every chapter to get what they're looking for.**

**NOTE:****There will also be some mature rated shots, there will be a warning posted before the chapter and in the descriptive sentence; however, most of them are family friendly, so there will not be many M-rated ones (about 5).**

**There will be: friendships, pairings, family, humor, seriousness, etc.**

**There will be ****friendships**** between:**

**Athena and Trucy**

**Trucy and Apollo**

**Miles, Phoenix, and Larry**

**Phoenix and Mia**

**Franziska and Aura**

**Klavier and Apollo**

**Ema and Maya**

**Pearl and Gumshoe**

**Godot and Pearl**

**Lana and Mia**

**Ema and Klavier**

**There will be family love between:**

**Simon and Aura**

**Franziska and Miles**

**Maya and Mia**

**Iris and Pearl**

**Lana and Ema**

**Klavier and Kristoph**

**Phoenix, Apollo, Trucy, Athena**

**And finally, there will be ****pairings**** for:**

**Simon/Athena**

**Phoenix/Maya**

**Franziska/Shi-Long**

**Apollo/Juniper**

**Maggey/Gumshoe**

**Miles/Ema**

**Godot/Lana (one- time only)**

**Mia/Godot (one-time only)**

**Larry/Mia (one-time only)**

**Iris/Larry**

**Iris/Phoenix (one-time only)**

**Aura/Metis (one-time only)**

**Larry/Cindy (one-time only)**

**Larry/OC**

_**Table of Contents:**_

_**1: Food (Maya): **_After some intense channeling training, Maya thinks about the times she and Phoenix would go out for burgers. _**(Implied Phoenix/Maya, and some Maya and Pearl friendship/family love**_

_**2: Break Away (Lana/Jake):**_ Jake visits Lana in prison, and Lana wonders if he's still interested in rekindling their relationship, but Jake has something else to say about it.

_**3: Fairy Tale (Phoenix, Trucy):**_ Phoenix reads his newly adopted daughter a bed time story. _**(Phoenix and Trucy family bonding)**_

_**4: Sport (Apollo, Clay): **_Young Apollo and his friend Clay attempt to try out for a school sport.

_**5: Puzzle (Franziska):**_ Ema brings Franziska a jigsaw puzzle to solve, and Franziska is determined to finish it.

_**6: Mirror (Miles):**_ The men he had based his ideals on both turned out to be dishonest murderers; so what does that mean for Edgeworth?


	2. Food

Maya was absolutely exhausted. Her aunt's fierce training strictly called for no breaks during a 48 hour period, and it was completely draining. She was tired, she was sore, and most importantly she was hungry.

She flopped down on her mat and moaned in exasperation. Her body hurt so much she didn't want to move, and then her stomach grumbled.

Maya faced a dilemma; stay and rest her aching body, or gorge herself on noodles? Usually Maya's stomach would've won the argument, but she was just so tired she couldn't make herself get up.

While trying to force her arms and legs to move using sheer willpower, her thoughts drifted to the memories of her and Phoenix going out for burgers.

_"Hey Nick!"_ Maya would say _"Let's go get some 'hey we won the case' celebratory burgers!"_

_"Alright Maya, I guess we've earned it."_ Phoenix would respond _"Just please try not to drain my wallet, I still have bills to pay you know."_

Maya smiled at the memory. Phoenix would always say something similar every time they went out to eat.

_"Geez Maya, how many of those are you going to eat?"_ He would ask when she was ordering her fourth hamburger.

_"As many as it takes until I'm full."_ She'd tell him.

_"I could spend my whole paycheck on burgers for you, and it still wouldn't be enough."_ He would grumble.

Maya laughed out loud just thinking about it, and was startled by how lonely the emptiness of the room made it feel.

_"Maya, I can't afford to feed all four of your stomachs all the time."_ He had said.

_"You won't have to."_ She told him.

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I'm going back to the village for Channeling Training."_

_"What?!"_ He exclaimed_ "And you're just telling me this now?"_

_"It had to happen Nick. I just assumed you knew it was coming."_

_"I should have."_ He admitted _"But you'll be back right?"_

_"Yeah I'll come back eventually."_ She said casually to tease him.

_"Eventually?! How long is that?"_

_"Only a couple of months."_ She had reassured him_ "I'll be back before you know it."_

_"I'm going to miss you Maya."_ He sighed.

_"I'll miss you too Nick."_

Maya felt a strange squeeze around her heart when recalling the day she had told Phoenix that she would be going away for a while. She turned her head to look at a picture Lotta had taken of her and Phoenix on the day they had gotten Mr. Edgeworth a 'Not Guilty' verdict.

Phoenix was being his normal goofy self; with his left hand behind his head and a sheepish smile on his face, while Maya was smiling wide for the camera while standing on his right side holding a banner she had made.

Her stomach grumbled again "Oh, shut up." she told it.

Maya made another half hearted attempt to get up; but her aching limbs refused to move. She wanted to become a better spirit medium, but her Aunt Morgan's training made her doubt if it was worth it to go through all this trouble.

She wished she could talk to Phoenix about it, but he wasn't here. He was a two hour train ride away from Kurain Village. She wished she could hop on a train and go visit him, but her aunt would have a cow if she left in the middle of her training.

_"Maya, I've bought you about four burgers and now you want a milkshake too?!"_ He cried in exasperation.

_"You only said I couldn't have another burger."_ She reminded him _"You never said I couldn't get a milkshake."_

He put his head in his hands _"You're going to bankrupt me."_ He lifted his head _"One milkshake okay? Then no more food."_

_"Whatever you say, __dad__."_ She laughed, rolling her eyes.

Maya's thoughts were interrupted by another loud growl from her stomach. She sighed. _Might as well go get something to eat._ She thought, propping herself up on her elbows when she heard a soft tapping on her screen.

"Mystic Maya?" A small voice from the other side said.

Maya brightened a little "Come in Pearly." she called.

The screen slid aside to reveal Maya's young cousin, Pearl, holding two bowls in her arms.

"You didn't come for dinner." Pearl stated "So I brought you some." she offered Maya one of the bowls.

"Thanks Pearly." She said joyfully, digging into the noodles with the fork Pearl had brought for her.

"Don't tell my mom." Pearl asked timidly "I told her I didn't feel well, and that I was going to bed."

"You should go then." Maya told her "I don't want you to get in trouble."

Pearl shook her head "She's doing more training, so she won't know unless she goes to check on me."

She patted her little cousin softly on the head "You're a good girl Pearly."

Pearl beamed and started eating her own noodles, when she noticed the picture next to the mat.

"Mystic Maya, who's this?" she asked, tapping the image of Phoenix.

"Oh, that's Nick!" She told Pearl "Well, that's what I call him."

Pearl's brow furrowed "You mean you call him by his name?"

"His real name is Phoenix, but I call him Nick." Maya explained.

Pearl's face brightened "Oh, like a nickname!"

"Yeah." Maya agreed, and then deflated a little. Thinking of Phoenix made her feel lonely despite her cousin's presence.

"Mystic Maya are you sad?" Pearl asked, looking concerned.

Maya was surprised by her cousin's perceptiveness "A little, I guess."

"Why are you sad Mystic Maya?" Pearl questioned, looking at Maya with wide eyes.

Maya couldn't say no to Pearl when she made that face "I miss helping Nick with his cases and going out for burgers afterwards."

Pearl looked at the photo and then at Maya "Is he special to you Mystic Maya?"

"Yeah." She admitted, looking at the photo "I guess he is."

Pearl smiled, clasping her hands to her face "It''ll be okay Mystic Maya! I'm sure you'll see him again when your training is over!"

Maya laughed a little. Pearl had "that look" in her eye again, and she knew her cousin was getting ideas about her and Nick's relationship; but couldn't bear to take Pearl's hope that true love existed away.

"Thanks for cheering me up Pearly." Maya smiled "Now eat your noodles before they get cold."

Pearl happily obliged: listening to Maya tell stories about her and Phoenix's cases with eager ears for more information about Mystic Maya's "special someone".


	3. Break Away

"You have a visitor." The guard told Lana, opening the door to her cell.

Lana looked at the guard in confusion. A visitor? Who could it possibly be? Ema? No, Ema had left for Europe at least a week ago. Phoenix? He sometimes dropped by to see how she was doing, but he was currently working on a case, and was probably too busy to visit her. Detective Gumshoe? He probably didn't want to risk getting his salary lowered again, although, that never stopped him before.

Lana followed the guard down the hall in continued befuddlement until she was sitting at the booth, face to face with one of the last people she expected to see.

"Jake?" She asked, hardly believing what she was seeing. Jake Marshall had come to visit her in prison.

"Hello bambina." Jake replied, nonchalantly shaving his beard stubble with his knife.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, turning to her cold façade. What reason could he have for visiting her?

"Come on now bambina." Jake commented casually "A man can't visit his old girlfriend in prison?"

"Not when they haven't been together for almost two years." She bit back bitterly. Is that what this was about? Her and Jake's old relationship?

"If that's how you feel." He said, starting to rise from his chair.

"Wait!" Lana cried, desperately grasping at one of the last remaining ties to her old life "I'm sorry." she apologized after regaining her composure "I've been like this for so long, I forget I don't have to anymore."

He sat back down and tipped his hat at her "Apology accepted."

She took a deep breath "Why did you come to visit me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"Just came to tie up some loose ends." He admitted, taking a swig from his flask.

Lana welled up with offense, confusion, and sadness "Is that what I am?" she asked harshly "A loose end?"

He put his hands up "Whoa, calm down bambina. I just came to talk."

She raised an eyebrow "What is there to talk about?"

Jake sat up, leaned forward on the counter, and looked her straight in the eye "Us."

Lana froze, trying to process what he had implied. "What about us?" she cautiously inquired, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. It was a sensation she hadn't felt in more than two years. For the first time in a long time; Lana felt hope.

During her time as Chief Prosecutor, Lana had always held regret for how she had treated Jake Marshall. She had taken his position of Detective away, and had broken his heart, all while grieving for his dead brother.

A little piece of her dared to yearn that Jake Marshall still cared about her. Why? She didn't know; she had spent so much time burying her feelings, attempting to never think about it again, in fear that she might break down and cry. But here he was, ready to talk about what had once been.

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his poncho "First, I need to know one thing. Did Gant have anything to do with it?"

Lana thought about it "Not directly." she answered honestly "He didn't tell me to break off ties from you, but I thought it would be easier for me to leave you, then to cause trouble for the both of us."

"I see." Came his curt reply.

Lana sighed, he was taking her explanation as an excuse; when it wasn't like that at all "I just couldn't go on with the way we were with the aftermath of DL-6 hanging over me. For the longest time I was afraid that Ema would be uncovered as a murderer, while Damon Gant used me as a courtroom puppet. Everything changed in so short a time."

He pondered that for a moment, searching her face. Lana kept her expression even; but her eyes radiated a sadness that Jake saw and interpreted. _"I'm sorry. For everything I did to you."_

"I understand." He said finally, recognizing her heartfelt apology and accepting it fully.

A wave of serenity enveloped Lana for a moment, and she slumped slightly in her chair. Part of her was finally at peace. With one of her many demons conquered, she felt a little more comfortable talking to Jake about their relationship.

"Is there anything else you wanted to know?" She inquired curiously.

"Yeah." He leaned forward again so his face was closer to the glass "Do you still feel that way about me?"

Lana blanked for a second. She was surprised by his question, even though she had inevitably seen it coming. She had to take a minute to evaluate the feelings that were racing through her brain.

She had never considered the possibility of her and Jake reuniting would become reality, but here the opportunity was presenting itself to her; and Lana felt her bottled up emotions begin to emerge.

"I do." She admitted, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from around her heart "I always did. I just never imagined that we could ever be together again, given the situation. But now you're here. And-" Her voice broke slightly, revealing her overwhelming emotion "I would like to try again."

Lana waited for his answer with hope rising in her chest. If he wanted to ask her if she still wanted him, he must be here for a reason. Was it possible that he felt the same way?

He leaned back again, and started casually shaving his face with his knife "Just wanted to make sure."

Her hope was replaced with confusion, what was he getting at? If he wouldn't give her a straight answer, she was just going to have to ask him directly "What about you?" She questioned him "How do you feel?"

"Well bambina, I wasn't sure what to think these past tow years." Jake said, putting his knife away; for a brief moment, Lana wondered how he had gotten it past the guards. "I knew there was something up with the way you were behaving, but I didn't dare try to look into it, just in case you or Gant would have me fired."

He crossed his arms again and looked her in the eye "I missed you during that time Lana." He said in all seriousness "But I can't let you know how I feel."

Lana felt her hope rapidly fading away. Soon it would be nothing but a memory, an empty ghost feeling of lost opportunities. "What do you mean?"

"After you get out of prison I want it to be just you and me. I want to get to know you again. Then maybe, we'll see. Until then, I've got Angel to keep me company."

Lana's heart soared, she saw through Jake's nonchalant demeanor. He did feel the same way about her as she felt about him. Jake was just treading on cautious ground, as did anyone who was involved in the DL-6 incident. She had something else to look forward to other than Ema's return. She had something else to give her hope.

"Will you come see me again?" She asked as he stood up to leave.

"Probably." He answered, smiling while tipping his hat good bye "Oh, and one more thing bambina." he pulled a small box out of his poncho and put it through the small space in the bottom of the window "Angel wanted me to give this to you. She calls it 'The Wright Way' lunch. Said it's bitter on top and sweet on the bottom."

Lana held the lunch close as the guard escorted her back to her cell. She looked at the box lunch Jake had given her. _Bittersweet._ She thought, smiling a little. _Much like this whole encounter._


	4. Fairy Tale

"Alright Trucy doll." Phoenix said, taking his newly adopted daughter by the hand. "Time for bed."

"But daddy." Trucy protested "I haven't finished perfecting my disappearing handkerchief yet."

"You can finish that tomorrow." He told her, leading her to her room "But right now it's time to go to sleep."

When they reached her room, he let go of her hand and took off her red top hat, setting it on her hat hook.

"But daddy." She continued as he unclipped her red cape and hung it up with her hat "Why don't _you_ have to go to bed?"

"Because I'm a grown up." He answered distractedly, taking a pair of her pajamas out of her dresser.

"Can _I _stay up late when I'm a grown up?" She asked earnestly as he handed her the pajamas.

"Maybe Trucy doll. For now you need to go to bed at a decent time." He smiled, patting her on the back "Now go change and brush your teeth."

"When I'm older," Trucy chatted on her way to the bathroom "I'm gonna stay up _all _night doing magic tricks."

Phoenix smirked and shook his head. _Kids. _He thought fondly.

When Trucy finished up in the bathroom, she trotted back into the bedroom, picking up a book of fairy tales amongst her many "How to:" magic books. "Daddy, will you read me a bed time story?" She asked Phoenix, giving him a wide eyed, puppy dog stare.

"Alright kiddo." He consented, patting a spot on the bed "Make yourself comfy."

Trucy set the book on his lap and climbed onto the bed, snuggling under her diamond patterned comforter.

Phoenix skimmed through the book, looking for a story that wasn't too racy or gory. He finally settled on one and began.

_"The Twelve Brothers." _He read the title _"Once upon a time, there was a King and Queen who had twelve sons-"_

"Whoa, _twelve _sons." Trucy marveled "That's a lot; I bet the Queen got tired of having so many boys around."

Phoenix ignored the interruption and continued reading _"Now the Queen was pregnant with their thirteenth child. One day the King said to her:_

_"If our thirteenth child should be a girl; have twelve coffins made, and kill the twelve sons so that she might inherit everything."_

"That's horrible!" Trucy exclaimed "Why would he want to kill all of his sons?"

Phoenix whole heartedly agreed, but kept reading _"So the King had twelve coffins made and locked in a room, just in case their child should be a girl-"_

"What was he going to do with them if the baby turned out to be a boy?" Trucy wondered.

"Trucy, are you going to keep interrupting?" Phoenix asked in a warning tone.

"Sorry daddy." She apologized "Keep reading!"

_"The Queen was heartbroken at the thought of having to kill her sons, and constantly wept for them._

_The youngest brother; who was also the smartest, asked her what was wrong multiple times until she showed him the room with the twelve coffins._

_"My son, your father has requested that if our baby is a girl, that you and your brothers be killed."_

_"Don't worry mother." The youngest brother assured her "I will warn my brothers, and we will run and hide away in the forest."_

_"When the child is born." The Queen told her youngest son "I will raise a flag from the tallest spire. If the child is a boy, I will display a white flag, and you will know it is safe to come back. If the child is a girl, I will hang a red flag, and you and your brothers must go far away from here."_

_The younger brother told his eleven elder brothers the news of their impending execution, and that night they ran away into the forest. In the middle of the forest, they found a magic cottage waiting for them, and they took shelter in it._

_Of course there's a magic cottage. _Phoenix thought.

_"One of us needs to keep watch for the signal." Said one of the brothers, so they delegated the youngest to watch the tallest castle spire from a high tree until they saw the flag. On the eleventh day, the youngest saw a blood red flag flapping in the wind._

"Wow, they got out of there just in time!" Trucy blurted out.

"Trucy, you said you wouldn't interrupt anymore." Phoenix reminded her.

"I'm sorry daddy. I couldn't help it." She insisted, smiling sheepishly.

Phoenix paused for a moment before continuing _"Why should we be exiled just because of a girl?" They said to themselves "From now on, wherever we see or meet a girl, we shall spill her blood!"_

"That's terrible!" Trucy cried indignantly "It's not her fault, it's the stupid King's fault, they should be mad at _him_!"

Phoenix nodded, letting the disturbance slide. It _was _monumentally unfair. _I see idiotic decisions run in the family. _He thought to himself.

_"Meanwhile; back at the castle, ten years went by, and the Princess grew up into a beautiful and charming little girl. She had been born with a gold star on her forehead, which only added to her beauty."_

_These people have a weird idea of what's beautiful. _Phoenix pondered.

Trucy giggled "Maybe she's from space."

_"One day during a castle washing day, the Princess noticed twelve medium sized shirts among the washing-"_

"She just noticed that?" Trucy scoffed "What, do they only wash their clothes once every few years?"

Phoenix waited to make sure she was done speaking. _"Who could these shirts belong to?" She asked her mother "They are too small to be my father's."_

"Well, duh." Trucy murmured.

"Trucy if you keep interrupting, I'm going to stop." He warned.

"No, please keep reading daddy." Trucy begged "I'll be good."

"Alright." He sighed.

_"They belong to thy twelve brothers." The Queen told the Princess._

_"Why have I never heard of them until now?" Her daughter wondered._

_"They were forced to flee before you were born." Said her mother._

_"Do not worry mother. I shall go and seek my twelve brothers." declared the Princess._

_Kind of an on the whim decision. _Phoenix criticized.

_"So the Princess went searching for her missing brothers. She searched far and wide until she reached the magic cottage in the middle of the forest. When she went inside, there was a young man sweeping the cottage floor._

"Ooh, who is it daddy?"

"We'll find out in a minute." He responded.

_"Who are you?" The young man asked._

_"I am a King's daughter, and I have come seeking my twelve brothers."_

_The young man realized who she was "I am your youngest brother, and you are my sister."_

_They hugged and cried, glad that they had found each other. "You must hide before the others come back from hunting." He told her "For they have sworn to kill any maiden they see." He hid her under the bathtub while they waited for the eleven brothers._

"With twelve boys, they must eat a lot." Trucy commented.

_They probably still couldn't eat as much as Maya. _Phoenix doubted.

_"When they brothers got home, they asked the youngest:_

_"What news do you have?"_

_"Don't you know any?" He asked them "I have been home all day, and I know more than you."_

_"Tell us!" They cried._

_"First you must swear not to kill or lay a hand on the first maiden you see." He told them._

_"Yes, she shall have mercy! Tell us!" They cried again._

_Well they consented awfully quickly. _Phoenix thought.

_"Holding them to their oath, he brought out the Princess from under the tub-"_

"How'd she fit under there?" Trucy asked.

"I don't think it's the same kind of tub we use Trucy." Phoenix told her.

_"Our sister is here." He said to them. And she seemed so beautiful, delicate, and sweet; that they couldn't not love her._

_They lived happily like that for two years, and one day the Princess went outside into the garden to pick flowers. She saw twelve white lilies, and picked them. Suddenly the house and the garden disappeared along with her twelve brothers, who were turned into ravens. Then as old woman appeared._

_"My child what hast thou done? Those flowers were thy twelve brothers who are now changed to ravens forever."_

"What!" Trucy exclaimed "How was she supposed to know that? That's not fair!"

"Trucy!" phoenix sighed in exasperation.

"Finish the story daddy." She begged "Please, I won't interrupt anymore."

_"Isn't there any way to free them?" The Princess asked the old woman._

_"Only one." The woman replied "You must not speak, laugh, or utter a sound for seven years. If you were to speak even one word in the last hour of the seven years, all would be in vain."_

Phoenix could tell Trucy was itching to say something, but was trying not to.

_"The maiden went to a tall tree and sat among its branches, so that she might not encounter anyone, and sat there spinning clothes and never talked or laughed._

_"One day there was a King hunting in the woods, and he saw the beautiful Princess with the gold star on her forehead and fell in love with her. He called to her and asked if she would become his wife, to which she gave a nod; so he brought her to his castle and married her._

_"They lived happily for a few years, until the King's mother started ad rumors about his wife being a witch, and continuously nagged him until he finally sentenced the Queen to death."_

Trucy could hold it no longer "But he's the King!" She cried in outrage "He doesn't have to do what she says!"

They were almost at the end of the story, so Phoenix decided he might as well finish.

_"She was tied to a stake where they set a fire, and the flames were starting to lick at the hem of her dress, when the last moment of the seven years came to an end. The twelve ravens appeared in the sky and transformed into her twelve brothers, who quenched the flames and released her from the stake."_

"Yeah!" Trucy cheered "Take that old lady!"

_"She told her husband her reason for never speaking, and he rejoiced. And they all lived happily together for the rest of their days. Except for the wicked mother-in-law, who was very unhappy and died miserably._

"The end." He finished, standing up and setting the book back on the shelf.

"That was a great story daddy!" Trucy said, laying her head on the pillow.

_It was, despite you interrupting. _He thought to himself as he turned on her star shaped night light and turned off the lamp.

"Will you read me another one tomorrow?" She asked hopefully as he tucked her in.

"We'll see. Good night Trucy doll." He said, giving her a kiss on the head.

"Good night daddy." Trucy replied as he closed the door behind him "I love you." she added when she knew he was out of earshot.

**P.S 'The twelve Brothers' is a real fairy tale that I found inside a giant Grimm Brother's fairytales edition, and decided to use for this one-shot. I hope you're enjoying these so far. :D**


	5. Sport

11 year old Apollo Justice was not a happy camper.

All students were required to join _one_ after school club, _and _try out for a school sport. They didn't have to make the team; they only had to try out.

That should've made Apollo happy, right? After all, he didn't have to join the team; but Apollo was just so annoyed that he had to try out for something he obviously wasn't interested in. He'd much rather be practicing to join the school choir with his vocal chords of steel (he was still working on the name), but instead he had to pacify the school board by trying an outdoor activity. The only upside to this, was that he would be accompanied by his best friend, Clay Terran.

"Hey Apollo." Clay greeted his friend as he approached "How are you this morning?"

"I'd be a lot better if we weren't being made to do this." Apollo replied, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Me too." Clay admitted glumly "The president of the astronomy club suspended me from going to the meetings until I meet the school's standards by trying out for a sport. And then he threw in this bit '_and for your sake I hope you make it on a team, you need to spend more time out in the sun than you do studying it.'_"

Apollo had to agree with the head of the club; one of Clay's eyes was starting to squint out of the habit of looking through a telescope. "At least we're in this together." He said, patting Clay on the back to cheer him up "Now say it with me."

"I'm Clay Terran, and I'm fine." Clay said in a semi-raised voice.

Apollo shook his head "You gotta be louder Clay. Like this." He stuck his head out of the dorm window and projected his voice to the best of his ability "I'M APOLLO JUSTICE, AND I'M FINE!" He yelled, sending a flock of birds flying in fright from a nearby tree "Now try again." he advised.

"I'm-I'm Clay Terran, and I'm fine!" He said a bit louder "How'd I do?" he asked, looking for Apollo's approval.

"Better than yesterday." Apollo answered, clapping proudly "They probably heard you all the way out in the hallway that time."

Clay sighed in defeat "I wish I was more confident like you Apollo."

"Don't worry; we'll keep working on it." Apollo assured him "Now let's go get this over with."

"Which team should we go out for?" Clay wondered as they walked through the hall on their way to the field.

"I was thinking soccer." Apollo told him "Since you don't have to wear a helmet."

"It's just like you to worry about messing up your hair." Clay muttered.

"Hey!" Apollo said defensively, as he slicked back the pointy part of his hair, though it just sprang up again "Hair like this doesn't just happen ya know."

Clay just smiled and shook his head at his friend's vanity.

"Plus, soccer is fairly simple." Apollo continued "There's no half time, innings, or certain places to stand."

"I wouldn't say that in front of the coach." Clay warned.

When they arrived, there was a line of about ten other boys also trying out. "Write your names on the sign up sheet." Coach Dover told them "Then stand in a line."

After all the boys had signed their names, the coach blew his whistle to begin the practice "We're going to start with a few kicking exercises. Stand behind each other in a line, and when I roll the ball to you, try to kick it into the goal. The go on to the back of the line to start over."

The boys did as the coach said, and he rolled each boy a soccer ball as they took their place in line. When it was Clay's turn, he gave the ball a moderate kick, sending it rolling into the net.

"Not bad Terran." Commented Coach Dover.

Apollo came after Clay, he paused, gathering strength and gave the ball a hard kick while shouting "I'm Apollo Justice, and I'm fine!"

The ball went flying toward the goal, bounced off the side, and with amazing velocity; hit Apollo right in the head, knocking him to the ground.

"Justice!" The coach exclaimed, running toward the scene. Apollo was knocked out cold, he picked him and turned to Clay "Terran, run ahead to the nurse's office and tell her to prepare to examine a student for a concussion."

Clay nodded, and started running as fast as his legs could carry him toward the school building.

"It's alright Justice." Coach said to the unconscious boy as he carried him to the health office "Not everyone is cut out for sports."

The nurse was ready for Apollo when the coach brought him in "What happened?" she asked him as he set Apollo on the cot "Who threw the ball at him?"

"Himself." Coach Dover answered as Clay ran up next to the cot.

"Apollo, can you hear me?" He asked worriedly.

"He's out like a light Terran, don't expect him to-"

"Ow." Apollo moaned, his eyes fluttering open slightly "My whole body hurts, but mostly my head."

Clay let out a sigh of relief "I'm just glad you're alright."

Apollo smiled weakly "I'm-" he winced, it hurt to talk "I'm fine."

"You are most certainly not!" The nurse scolded "Now lay still while I examine your head."

Apollo gladly obeyed, his forehead throbbing like crazy from the impact. She checked his cranium for signs of swelling, and then made him keep his eyes open while she shined a light in them to observe his pupils. Then she made him tell her his name, the month, day, and year, as well as his parent's names.

"You have a minor swelling of the brain." She told him "Nothing you won't recover from in a few days. I'll give you an ice pack for that lump on your forehead, which might bruise. Stay in bed, take it easy on yourself, and don't do anything extreme." She advised in a stern tone.

"Well congratulations Justice." Said Coach Dover.

"For what?" Apollo asked him.

'You're officially off the hook in terms of sports." He grinned.

"Really?" Apollo sat up excitedly, and then wished he hadn't from the pain in his head, and flopped back down on the cot. "Ow." he groaned.

"But that also means you can't practice your chords of steel exercises for at least a week." The Coach said.

"Gah!" He cried out in frustration "How am I supposed to audition for choir?"

Clay folded his arms and smiled knowingly "Ya know Apollo; a helmet would've been a good addition."

Apollo grimaced in response to his friend's "humor" "I may be off the hook, but you're not." he said with a straight face.

Clay had a panicked expression, before Coach Dover slapped him on the back "He's just joking Terran, you already fulfilled your obligation by trying out."

Clay looked relieved, and Apollo laughed, and then winced again. "At least you did better than me." Apollo reminded his friend "You didn't knock yourself out."

Clay grew wide eyed as his friend's praise sunk in "I did, didn't I?" he beamed.

"Say it Clay." Apollo encouraged "Say it loud and proud."

"I'm Clay Terran, and I'm fine!"

As he, Clay, and Coach Dover laughed; Apollo was glad he had finally found the confidence booster his best friend needed, even if it did involve getting a concussion.

**One guess as to what the Coach's first name is (I'm a terrible person XD)**


	6. Puzzle

"Um, Miss von Karma?" Ema asked, poking her head in the door.

"Yes, what is it Ema Skye?" She replied distractedly, filling out some paperwork for a current case.

Ema approached her desk hesitantly "Um, I was wondering if you would help me with something."

Franziska looked up from her writing "Is it related to case work?" she asked.

"Well, no, but-"

"Then I'm afraid I am far too busy to help you at the moment." She said, returning to her paperwork. She had no time for this foolishness; she needed to keep up her reputation for being perfect by completely finishing all her work.

"But if I could just have a few minutes of your time-"

"You have two minutes to explain yourself." Franziska interrupted.

"So I was trying to do this puzzle," Ema told her, holding out the box "but it was really difficult, and it was starting to give me a headache-"

"Please get to the point Ema Skye." Franziska said impatiently.

"I wanted to see if anyone else was able to do it, so I thought I'd ask you." She finished, looking at Franziska hopefully.

"That's very flattering Ema Skye." Franziska sighed and stood up from her desk, and started to lead Ema toward the door "I would love to help you, but I am far too busy for such-"

"Please Miss von Karma." Ema begged as Franziska pushed her out of the office "I've asked several other people to try it, but no one was able to-"

"I'm sorry, but I do not have the time-"

"Even Mr. Edgeworth couldn't finish it." Ema commented.

Franziska froze "What did you say?"

"Even Mr. Edgeworth couldn't finish it." She repeated.

Franziska's competitive side began to seep through at the mention of her adoptive brother's name 'Who else have you asked to complete this puzzle?"

"Phoenix, Maya, Lana, Detective Gumshoe, Mr. Edgeworth, and you." She replied.

"And you're saying Miles Edgeworth was unable to complete it?"

"Yes, so I thought I'd ask you, because-"

Franziska grabbed the puzzle box "Why on earth didn't you say so?" she said, taking it to her desk "I will complete this puzzle, as Miles Edgeworth could not." She cleared the paperwork off her desk, and poured the pieces out of the box. _"World's Hardest Jigsaw Puzzle!" _it read _"Over 1000 pieces!"_

_I will finish this so called 'world's hardest' puzzle, and finally prove that I am superior to Miles Edgeworth. _She declared to herself, and began.

_***45 Minutes Later***_

Preposterous. Absolutely foolish. So why was she doing it? To prove that a von Karma was perfect in _every _way. But that didn't make it any less frustrating.

_Let's see, this piece must go here. _She thought as she moved one of the small pieces next to another. _Grrr. Apparently not. _She grumbled when the piece didn't fit the other. _I've organized them by color, texture, and shape; why is this so difficult? Normally I would have completed it by now. _She took another look at the image she was supposed to complete. It was a jumble of colors and shapes, and had no particular pattern.

_Hmmph. No matter, I will complete this._

She rearranged the stray pieces around the outline she had almost completed. She continued to root out the ones with straight edges. When she finished that, she put them in groups according to their color. She tried piece by piece, being quite satisfied with herself whenever she found a match. She attempted to fit some of the pieces onto the nearly finished outside, but not one of them would fit properly.

Franziska glowered. _What is this foolishness? Why will none of these pieces fit?_

She took another glance at the label, and saw something she hadn't noticed before _"Pictures on both sides"_

Franziska clenched her fist and slammed it down on the table; her other hand twitched toward her whip, tempted to use it. The possibility that she might be assembling the puzzle the _wrong way_, infuriated her to no end.

"Um, Miss von Karma?" Ema piped up next to her "You can stop if you like."

Franziska took a deep breath before answering "No Ema Skye, I told you I would complete this puzzle, and I shall."

"Well, um, if you insist." Ema said, stepping back.

Franziska turned her attention back to the table. When Ema had brought the puzzle into her office, she was only too eager to prove she could do it. Now she wished she had turned down her offer.

_I must succeed where Miles Edgeworth has failed. _She motivated herself. _I must persevere!_

She refocused on the puzzle, determined to finish it. _If there are pictures on both sides, I just have to flip the pieces and see if they fit that way._

She tried it with a few of them, and was quite pleased with herself when they connected. With this tactic, she soon finished the outside of the puzzle.

"Wow Miss von Karma!" Ema cheered "Even Mr. Edgeworth didn't get that far!"

Franziska glowed with pride at that statement, and continued working.

_Now to finish the rest. _She looked at the image again and decided to look for the yellow pieces that would make up the beach. It was there that Franziska ran into a road block. She kept finding pieces that were skin colored from the many, many, _many_, people inhabiting the beach, and could hardly find enough for the beach parts.

She would start assembling the people, but there were just so _many_ (being a bird's eye view of the beach), she sighed and continued sorting the pieces. She turned them over and tried them that way, and every which way she could think of. She clenched her whip, this accursed puzzle as staring to get on her nerves.

She decided to ditch the beach and focus on the people. There was an overcast area that made the pieces a little bit darker than the rest. She dug through them, comparing them to pieces she had already assembled, looking for shady areas. Once she found them all, she made an effort to put them together by looking for other recognizable traits. There were no consisting patterns or features that she could see, and so began to blindly put pieces together if hopes of finding a match.

Franziska was starting to panic, nothing would fit together. _Foolish puzzle pieces. _She thought. _I command you to cooperate; my reputation for being perfect is on the line._

It was no use; the pieces refused to listen, and insisted on rebelling against her. Franziska had finally had enough. She stood up, grabbed her whip, and began to mercilessly abuse the puzzle.

"You foolish fool of a jigsaw puzzle!" She cried, lashing it repeatedly "You refused to obey my orders, and now you shall pay the price for it!" She continued to strike the desk, sending pieces flying all over the place. She finally stopped when she decided she had gotten all her frustration out of her system.

"Um, Miss von Karma-" Ema started.

Franziska swept the remaining bits and pieces into the box and handed it to Ema "I'm sorry I couldn't help you." She said, hurriedly pushing Ema out the door "Now I still have a lot of work to do. Have a good rest of your afternoon, and _do not _speak a word of this to anyone."

She closed the door in Ema's face before she even had a chance to answer. Ema put the box in her bag as she pulled out a clipboard labeled: Stress Experiment then pulled out a timer and scribbled down the recorded time.

_Guess I won't be able to test anyone else now. _Ema thought disappointedly, and took another look at her clipboard.

Phoenix: 17 min

Maya: 4.5 min

Lana: 32 min

Gumshoe: 9 min

Edgeworth: 57 min

Franziska: 55 min

_I wonder if I should tell her that Mr. Edgeworth beat her by two minutes._

Ema heard an angry growl of frustration from inside the office, and something that sounded like Franziska whipping her desk.

_Probably not. _She decided, and left to go document her results in her notebook.


	7. Mirror

He slammed his fist on his desk, putting his head in his hands.

Miles Edgeworth had been through the mill these past several months. He had been framed, arrested, and put on trial for a crime he didn't commit. During that entire courtroom fiasco, he had learned the true cause of his late father's death at the hands of his mentor. Now, just hours before, Chief Damon Gant's true colors had come to light. The two men Edgeworth had looked up to had committed multiple heinous crimes such as: tampering with evidence, assault, forging evidence, and worst of all; murder.

He sighed in despair, running his fingers through his hair. What was he supposed to think now? On the witness stand, Gant had said they were one and the same. He had molded himself to be like them for so long, what if he was right? What if he eventually stooped to their level, and committed murder for his own selfish desires? Edgeworth thought he was serving justice by being like them; but everything he thought he knew was an expertly woven lie, unraveled by his old friend and court rival.

In a way his two role models had manifested themselves as two of the seven deadly sins: Wrath and Greed. Manfred von Karma, his mentor for 16 years; had been so driven by the need for absolute perfection that he flew into a vengeance fueled rage towards his own father for threatening that perfection. He killed Gregory Edgeworth in cold blood, and took in his only son to shape him into the opposite of everything Gregory had stood for.

Whereas Damon Gant had been motivated by his lust for greater power, even betraying and manipulating his most trusting partner. He went to great lengths to rearrange the scene of Neil Marshall's death to frame Ema Skye, just to turn her older sister into his personal prosecutor puppet; even murdering Detective Goodman to keep his interference a secret.

He had been taught so many dishonest tactics and had so much falsity drilled into him since childhood, he wasn't sure what to do anymore. Manfred von Karma taught him to withhold information and evidence and do whatever it took to receive a guilty verdict. Whether the defendant was guilty or innocent, he had been told that everyone was guilty until proven innocent (and they were never proven innocent until he had clashed with Wright) and that the verdict was the only thing that mattered. Losing was not an option in the von Karma household. He had been instructed to eliminate the world's criminals, and with the belief "guilty until proven innocent" everyone was a potential criminal, guilty of some form of wrong doing, that he as a prosecutor was required to cure the earth of.

Then Wright came back into his life (by force he might add). Phoenix _knew _that by becoming an attorney, he would have to face him in court one day. Having to come into contact with a tie to his former life was what he had been trying to avoid. Still, Wright insisted on trying to break down the walls he had so carefully crafted over the years.

What was Edgeworth supposed to do with himself know that he knew the causes behind those murders? He couldn't continue on with life like it hadn't happened. He couldn't just walk into that courtroom like it didn't bother him. He had never had reason to doubt himself until that day Wright bested him in court. His self-confidence was shattered since the uncovering of the SL-9 and DL-6 incidents; there were conspiracies everywhere he turned. What was he supposed to aim for as an upholder of the law now? Prosecuting the guilty? He wasn't sure who was or who wasn't anymore. Rooting out the criminals? The two men he had based his ideals on had been unearthed for past crimes they committed. What else was there?

At first Edgeworth had assumed Phoenix's win against him had been beginner's luck, even more experienced defense lawyers like Kristoph Gavin and Wright's own mentor Mia Fey hadn't been able to beat him. But after his next few cases, he began to see Wright's true potential. So how did he do it? How did he manage to get the better of veteran prosecutors, when he had limited knowledge of how the law worked? Did he know something Edgeworth didn't know?

_Truth. _A familiar voice in his head told him. _There is always the truth Miles._

Truth? Was that what Wright searched for when defending his clients? It would certainly explain why Wright went to so much trouble to look for decisive evidence and stall the crowd until he figured out what it all meant (Wright could be a little slow on the uptake at times).

He clenched his fists. If he had known the truth behind his cases, he would've done so many things differently. The truth could've saved the god-knows-how-many innocent people he had convicted. He had been considering resigning, but that wouldn't change what he had done in the past. He buried his face in his hands again. How many murders had he committed by sentencing innocent people to their death? He wished he could start over again and wipe the slate of his guilty conscience clean.

_You can always rely on truth Miles. _The voice said again.

He lifted his head, struck with a sudden epiphany. By searching for truth and what it meant to find the truth, he would discover what it really meant to work for the law as a prosecutor. The saying "justice is blind" had been created by men like him who had the wrong idea about what it meant to achieve justice. Perhaps in this way he could somehow make up for all the misery he had caused. He could improve himself by seeking the truth instead of aiming for that guilty verdict. He was now determined to become a new person, and leave behind Miles Edgeworth Demon Prosecutor; he didn't exist anymore. From now on he was just Miles Edgeworth. He looked around his office, like he was seeing it for the first time.

He didn't think he could gather the courage to tell everyone he was leaving; he didn't want to cause a confrontation that would cost him his humility. He had to leave everything so he could focus on his goal, he would leave an ambiguous note to discourage the possibility of anyone searching for him.

He made an impulsive decision to leave right then and there, stuffing a few things into his briefcase. He picked up a scrap of paper and thought about what form of message to leave.

"Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death." He wrote.

In a way it was true; as far as he was concerned his old self was dead, he no longer existed. That would keep Wright and any others off his trial until the day he returned. He left the note on his desk for the bellboy to find when he brought his afternoon tea.

As Edgeworth walked out the door of the building, he felt like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. Heading to his rented vehicle, Edgeworth actually smiled, finally feeling he had begun to walk the path to redeeming himself.


End file.
